‘Blessed are they who have learned to acclaim You (worship You with a joyful shout), who walk in the light of Your presence, LORD’ Psalm 89:15
‘Lord, You are more precious than silver,
Lord You are more costly than gold,
Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,
And nothing I desire compares with You'[1]
This song will always be special to me.
I had been a Christian for about a year, and it was a week after I had been baptised. I was on a student retreat, in a prayer meeting. There had been no hype, no working up our emotions. But in the quiet of that prayer meeting I felt led to pray, ‘Lord, I’m sorry that I have failed You, but if You can forgive me, please take me and use me however You will.’
At that moment I had the most amazing sensation. It was like a waterfall of light pouring down within me, filling my soul with peace and joy, purity and the assurance of God’s love. And there was a beautiful fragrance. All I wanted to do was worship, singing the above song over and over. (I am told that I was praising God even in my sleep later that night). For the next few days it felt like I was walking on air, supercharged with joy in the glory of Christ. I even managed to overcome my intense shyness and sought to share my faith with a stranger in the student union.
Some would say I was baptised in the Spirit. Personally I believe that we are all baptised in the Spirit when we first believe in Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). But there was no denying my experience of the Spirit’s power.
Other people’s experience will be different. And I should make it clear that my faith is grounded in the reality of God’s word, not in emotional experiences, but I do believe that I was truly blessed by the Spirit, filling my heart with joyful worship, on that occasion.
Of course my life isn’t all about mountaintop experiences. But as I went on in my Christian life I discovered that I could ask God to fill me with His Spirit, and then step out in faith, trusting that He had done so, whether or not I felt anything. This was revolutionary for someone who was so bound by social anxiety. By repenting of my sins, and asking God to fill me with His Spirit (as He commands – Ephesians 5:18) I was able to overcome many of the crippling fears which had held my life in bondage for so long.
Through God’s Spirit in my life I have learnt the joy of worshipping God with all my heart, and of keeping short accounts with Him, walking in the power of His Spirit. I don’t always do it, but it is a principle which has transformed my life.
‘Blessed are they who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, LORD.’ (v15)
And it goes on: ‘They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness. For You are their glory and strength…’ (v16,17). Yes indeed!
That’s how this verse speaks to me, but it’s wider context in Psalm 89 gives a larger message. Early on it praises God’s sovereign power. ‘Who is like You, LORD God Almighty? You, LORD, are mighty, and Your faithfulness surrounds You.’ (v8)
From verse 19 till verse 37 the psalmist speaks of the Davidic covenant, the promise of a Messiah (which he has already mentioned in verses 3 and 4).
But then in verses 38 onwards, it takes a surprising turn, accusing God of not being faithful to His covenant promises.
‘How long, LORD? Will You hide Yourself forever? How long will Your wrath burn like fire?…LORD, where is Your former great love which in Your faithfulness You swore to David?’ (v46,49)
It’s important to recognise that this is not the voice of bitter cynicism, but that of wounded faith, calling on God to be faithful to His covenant promises. So despite being tempted to despair, the psalmist ends with ‘Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen!’ (v52) – a phrase which brings a fitting end to this section of the Psalms.
Although the psalmist could not understand what God was doing, we can see from a New Testament viewpoint that God’s Davidic covenant was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The fact is there will be times when we can’t understand what God is doing. And I think it’s alright to voice our doubts and fears to Him, even as we cling to Him in faith. The fact is that we will not always feel like acclaiming God. And we will not always feel like we are walking in the light of His presence.
But we can still walk by faith, asking Him to fill us, and trusting in Him.
Whether we feel it or not we are truly blessed in Him, if we have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.
So as for me, ‘I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make Your faithfulness known through all generations’ (v1)
Amen and Amen!